Alma 29:9

"I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yeah, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy."

Alma 29:9

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Sick but still kickin!!!

Mom and Dad and Brenden and Cameron and Zoey ;)

As you can tell from the subject line, I have been sick,
unfortunately. It's made for a slower week, but I'm on the upside of
things, so I'll be better in no time.

Along those lines, because I've been sick, I asked the elders for a
priesthood blessing. I feel so grateful to have access to that power
at almost any moment. It was the morning after I received the blessing
that things started to look up. I didn't get better all of the sudden,
but I saw improvements in my health that were encouraging. Again, so
very grateful for the priesthood power!!

Because of the sisters who passed away, we had one funeral and one
memorial service. Both were hard to go to, but especially the memorial
service for Wendy. She was just so young (I found out she was actually
47), and my heart aches that she isn't here anymore. I failed to
mention a few miracles in my last email: just one week prior to her
passing, she was able to go to the temple after not going for a long
time. She also finished the addiction recovery program a few days
before that. She was as prepared to return Home as she could have
been. This makes my heart so happy. I realized that though my faith
in the Plan of Salvation has strengthened significantly, it doesn't
necessarily eliminate the heartache. I still feel it, Sister Smith
definitely feels it. That sting is still there, but I yet have hope
that even the sting will eventually be swallowed up in Christ. Wendy
is so happy right now...happier than I ever could imagine. And we'll
see her again one day. I echo the words of President Uchtdorf when he
said, "How grateful I am to my Heavenly Father that in His plan there
are no true endings, only everlasting beginnings."

Earlier this week, we had interviews with President Johnson. My
goodness, I love him so much. He and his adorably sweet wife are two
of my favorite people in the whole wide world. They are also two of
the most amazing people I have ever met. I absolutely adore them. I
always love meeting with President--this one was a little different
than past interviews though. After I told him that I was nervous to
take over the area soon, he said something along the lines of, "Sister
Bartlett, you're ready for this. You really are; I know you are. You
know, Heavenly Father is the One in charge and He knows what He's
doing. You'll see this next transfer that He really knows what He's
doing. You may not think it in the moment, but you'll be able to look
back and know that He knew what He was doing... Definitely
gave me something to think about. I have a hunch there will be a big
change this next transfer...stay tuned to see what happens! 😁😉

The Relief Society put on this really cute "Un-Birthday" party that
was Mad Hatter themed. It was really fun, so cutely decorated, and the
food was delicious. Pictures will be included.

We had a really great lesson with our less-active Amy this week. We
read President Uchtdorf's talk "He Will Place You on His Shoulders and
Carry You Home". If you haven't re-read it since conference, I would
invite you to do so! It was exactly what she needed, and we all felt
the Spirit as we read it and talked about it. I love being able to go
back and read the conference talks again, because they become a part
of me and I understand them on a new level. I am so so grateful for
conference! And the blessings keep flowing even after conference
weekend has passed.

As Sister Smith and I were driving one evening, we stopped to admire a
beautiful sunset. It helped me be grateful for more of God's
incredible creations. And naturally, we had to take pictures, so I
will include those as well. 🌅

I hope yinz are alive and well and still kickin'! Keep on keepin' on!
I LOVE YINZ SO MUCH!!!!!